OCR Text |
Show HEI.HilO AND DISCONTENT. Tho pope is earnestly striving to meet tho social discontent of the time with a quickening of religious feeling. It is said ho is busy on an encyclical letter relating to this subject, and all his recent utterances are pregnant with this sentiment. Yesterday the pontiff took occasion to say in a missile to the German emperor concerning tho discontinuance dis-continuance of the so-called kultur knmnf. th.it "the mllo-iou! sentiment affords the only means of solving the existing terrible social problems. Our mutual convictions of this fact are a bond between us, although divided by faith." This plan of salvation is very commendable. The only trouble with it is that it is not feasible. Great as is tho social discontent in the civilized world the religious discontent discon-tent is no smaller. There never was a time when the foundations of the old faiths were so violently shaken by doubt and skepticism was so rampant as it is today. Millions of people, nominally Chrlsltans, are nncertitin of their own belief and distressed with apprehension for the future. Even the churches themselves are floundering in a deep sea of doubt. The Presbyterians have practically no creed at present, while the old home of Calvin himself has become be-come the hotbed of atheism. In the Congregational school of Andover, founded for the purpose of providing "for the church a learned, orthodox and pious ministry." a fierce war is now raging against the so-called Brlggs faction which is accused ac-cused of tearing the old creed from its sound moorings. Among tho Baptists many regard the world as beyond be-yond the hope of redemption and await the early coming of the Savior as tho fulfillment of His promises, while many others of that denomination refuse to accept this interpretation. The recent trial of the Rev. Mr. McQueary shows that the spirit of heresy is rampant even in the conservative Vpiscopal church, since the accused citoi! :iple evidence that he was not aloue iu the priesthood to hold his peculiar ideas. Perhaps tho Methodist church is least affected by internal and doctrinal differences, unless un-less it be the Catholic church which is immovable and unchangeable forever. But even here a spirit of rebellion manifests man-ifests itself in such permanent movements move-ments as the old Catholic, led by Bishop i Dollingor, the French Catholic led by Pere llvacinthe, not to speak of the spread of infidelity as expressed by Kenan and Strauss. With a discontent so wide, so deep and so formidable in her own ranks, we fear that the church is not in a lit condition just now to heal the dis 'out-! ent existiug in the social world. 1 |